1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to snow skiing, specifically to a system of attaching skis and poles together for convenient carriage.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A difficult task for a snow skier is any trip on foot with skis and poles in hand, particularly when a skier is tired. Snow skis are heavy, awkwardly shaped, long, and have sharp edges. Skis do not have handles. Skiers often must carry two skis in one hand and at the same time carrying two ski poles in the other hand when their hands are covered by bulky ski gloves. Most skiers take time to arrange the running surfaces, or “bases,” of the skis together and may attempt to use the “interlocking” ski brakes to hold skis together in order to hoist the skis over their shoulder and carry them while walking in heavy, stiff ski boots. It is often difficult to hold both skis and poles when attempting to insert the tail of the skis into the vertical racks found at lodges, on gondolas and buses.
Skis and ski poles are usually hand carried in situations that may be classified by distance into four categories. The first is a short haul. This haul can measure from just a few meters to possibly fifty meters long. A common short haul trip is from the house, hotel, or car to the ski bus stop, or from the base of the slope to a gondola or lift. It can be from the ski bus to the vertical ski racks next to the lodge or the center of the ski village. Various short hauls between rental shops, bars, restaurants or retailers are also common with today's modern ski villages. The second carrying situation is an intermediate haul, which often involves transport between a car, condominium, hotel, restaurant or other location to the base of the slope where the lift and gondola are located. This intermediate haul is often performed while wearing ski boots, but if more comfortable walking shoes are donned, ski boots may also need to be carried.
The remaining two situations are the long haul, which may arise in the context of cross country and extreme skiing, and the travel by conveyance, wherein the skis are transported over long distances on airplanes, on boats, or in cars. In long haul cases, the time it takes to place the skis in an over-the-shoulder bag, holster, or other apparatus may be justified; for travel by conveyance, large bag enclosures, tubes and automobile racks are more practical for travel from one's home to a remote ski resort hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Many adequate systems are known in the art that are practical for long haul and travel by conveyance. However, prior art devices which focus on short and intermediate haul situations often require significant time to employ. Most attempts to solve the ski carriage problem have used non-integrated separate devices which are cumbersome, bulky and take significant time to attach. This is because much of the prior art has focused on the long and intermediate hauls, such as up a mountain, or from a parked automobile to the ski village, in which case some bulk and a moderate amount of time spent attaching the device to the skis and poles may be acceptable to some skiers. Many current solutions bind the skis together in order to attach the poles, limiting the flexibility of the device to situations which demand the skis be bound together. Thus, the skis cannot be kept apart for handling by a child or petite person or for use with an automobile rooftop racks. Now, with this invention such efforts in time and placement are not needed for short and intermediated hauls.
Prior art fails in solving six basic needs presented by the short and intermediate hauls: (1) the need for speedy attachment; (2) the need for a convenient handle; (3) the need for rigid control in handling; (4) the need to keep the back end of the skis clear for vertical rack insertion; (5) the need for versatility, such as keeping the skis apart for use in automobile racks; and (6) the need to eliminate separately carried items, which must be stored or can be lost. While some devices meet some of these needs, none of the currently available methods meet all six needs simultaneously.
Most prior art for the hand carriage of skis and poles falls into five categories: (1) bags or tubes which totally enclose both skis and both poles; (2) holsters which usually incorporate belts or over-the-shoulder straps along with a securing or hooking device; (3) straps which act to hold the skis together and sometimes act as a handle; (4) clamps or totes which hold the skis and poles together and sometimes act as a handle, and (5) integrated devices and features which use the existing qualities of the skis and poles and/or attach devices to the skis and/or poles so as to eliminate the need to carry separate items.
Bags and other large enclosures are useful for long haul and travel by conveyance situations, and may be adequate for intermediate hauls, but are impractical for use on the slopes. Most of them are designed for travel from a home to a remote ski resort hundreds or thousands of miles away. While a bag or tube may be used for transport around a ski village, the size of such a device and the time required to use it make it difficult to use on the slopes. Opening the enclosure, removing all four items, closing it back up, and then finding a place to store it is impractical for short hauls.
For short and intermediate hauls, holsters have discernable disadvantages. They are somewhat bulky and require time to put on or take off. If left on, they can interfere with a skier's movement and may be uncomfortable. Many holsters, such as those disclosed by U.S. Publication 2007/0125818 to Forster and U.S. Publication 2007/0210570 to Erichsen, do not provide for the poles. Also, holster arrangements are limited to conditions when it is necessary to couple the skis together, are inconvenient for short hauls, and do not provide speed of attachment. The handle usually consists of fabric from the holster, which is not necessarily convenient. For the most part they fail to provide rigid control as many require a free hand to guide the skis which are hoisted at only one point and tend to pivot wildly. As soon as skis are removed from the holster they are devoid of easy handling properties. Although once out of the holster, skis are not encumbered for insertion into racks, one still has the problem of handling the poles and skis simultaneously while trying to insert the skis into the rack.
Various straps have been marketed and patented as solving some of the six needs. Strapping solutions tend to use a loop or configuration of loops of fabric strapping around the skis, bindings, and/or the poles. A strap handle is usually attached as well. Most strap systems use hook and loop fabrics, buckles, ladder lock retainers, snaps and the like to wrap the straps around either the skis, bindings, and/or poles and then to adjust and tighten them into a desired position. For example, the strap of U.S. Publication No. 2005/0199660 to Rolf uses loose, non adjustable loops to avoid detailed snapping, threading and pulling (which can be difficult when wearing thick ski gloves). U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,306 to Abatecola endeavors to create a separate handle out of the strapping which can be held in one hand. U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,074 to Coates and WO 93/24032 to Sieber endeavor to create a shoulder strapping system for freeing both hands. U.S. Publication No. 2006/0076378 to Hall discloses a strapping system that may be handheld or shoulder mounted, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,027 to Briggs and WO 94/28986 to Burr seek to position the poles as handles.
WO 94/28986 to Burr is significant as it teaches the use of two straps are provided to enable the user to bind the poles tightly to the skis to form an easily graspable handle, however, the straps require time to place properly, constitute additional gear, do not leave the back end of the skis unencumbered, and do not readily create a rigid carrying system. Although the straps can be tightened to pull the poles down in a vertical fashion against the ski bindings, there is nothing on the ski bindings to keep the poles from sliding from side to side and falling off the binding, resulting in a loose strap. Further the Burr method contemplates that the handle end of the poles can be strapped to the skis. In order to accomplish that objective, the toe piece of the binding must have an extremely low profile. However, most modern toe pieces have a relatively high profile which would not allow the poles to be pushed down to the skis without bending the poles.
All strap systems leave several problems unsolved for the short and intermediate hauls. They all require the use of a non-integrated strapping device that must be stored on ones person or in ones ski clothing, and that must be removed from the storage location and then attached via a somewhat complex, time-intensive procedure.
The prior art also discloses multiple clamps, totes and other rigid grasping devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,787 to Gainey; U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,182 to Hickey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,551 to Brumbaugh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,349 to Dopp, U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,815 to Ettl, and EP 1,238,687 to Geyerman all teach hard plastic or metal devices which must be carried separately. Employing any of these devices creates the problem of where to stow the device when one is skiing. Most of them are too big to keep in a jacket pocket. Even the small ones are hard and could potentially cause injury or at least pain if a skier falls on them. Many provide a relatively rigid handle, but some require assembly, and all of them require a considerable amount of time and effort to get to the assembled state. One must remove the device for use, and then place the skis and poles into position before securing the device. As mentioned earlier, skis and poles are difficult to handle with thick gloves and no handles. Again, these devices are limited to situations which demand that the skis be coupled together. Finally, most of these devices attach the poles in a mid-ski and mid-pole orientation, allowing the pole to extend over the tail of the ski and interfere with rack insertion.
Integrated devices eliminate separately carried items by definition, as their features are integrated into or permanently affixed to the poles and skis. Some current integrated solutions provide for rigid control, but not all provide handles, and often do not allow for quick attachment or a clean back end for rack insertion, and may require the skis to be arranged base-to-base.
One group of integrated devices constitute an single point, pivotal hoist, and involve using the tip end of the pole to connect to the ski near the toe piece and hoist the skis over the shoulders to be carried by the poles (like a knapsack or rucksack is carried with a walking stick). Although the planar connection between the ski poles and the skis may actually involve more than one geometric point, for all practical purposes, the system is connected at only one juncture. Such devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,630,842 and 4,702,495 to Roda, and involve mounting an attachment with tubular hole to the top of the ski, at a point in front of the toe piece of the bindings, with the tubular hole oriented perpendicular to the length of the ski. The tips of the poles are inserted into the holes and the skis are then hoisted over the shoulder, hanging on the poles. Improvements to this method are evidenced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,072 to Humphrey, which teaches a chain used to keep the skis from falling off the poles and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,251 to Smith, which discloses a flexible multidirectional clip in place of a single tubular hole.
Although comprising an integrated handle of sorts, none of these methods answer the remaining needs. First, there is no speed of attachment. One must first attach the poles to the skis, and then arrange the skis together. This may be difficult in that the poles are perpendicular and attached. Then one must hold the skis vertical by the poles while stepping under to hoist them. For example, use of the device claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,072 to Humphrey involves six recited steps. Second, there is no rigid control for handling. Both Humphrey '072 and Smith '251 provide for a flexible connection. Given the inertial mass of the skis, and the short length of the connection, any rigidity created by the length of the tubular connection in Roda '842 could bend the tip of the pole. Unfortunately, this method leaves the skis gravitationally swinging from the poles and limits severely the orientation of handling positions. Third, although one could certainly place the skis with the attached poles into a rack, the attached poles would have to be removed from the skis or else become a hazard to passersby, and do not account for poles. Fourth, although it would be possible to carry the ski pole units separately, such as over each shoulder, there would be no point in the awkward arrangement because of the geometric size of the ski and pole at right angles.
Some single point arrangements do not attempt to utilize the poles as a hoist. U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,163 to Bosch, discloses an integrated locking system wherein the skis are fixed together with clamps permanently affixed to the ski, and requires substantial time to arrange the skis and complete the clamping and resulting in a package with no real handle. U.S. Pat. No. 7,273,233 to Moller describes a ski clip which constitutes a fold-out, two-pronged fork-like clip attached to the mid-portion of the pole which is designed to pivot out and then hold two skis together in a base-to-base orientation while simultaneously allowing the ski poles to hang at the pivot point of the clip attachment from the tip end of the skis. This requires orienting the skis in a base-to-base then vertical position for clamping, which slows speed of attachment. One must take the time to hold his poles in one hand, while picking up both skis from the ground and then arranging them together in a position to accommodate the clip. At the same time, the user must fold out the clips and then place the first pole and clip into position and slide it firmly into place while still holding the other pole somewhere and the two skis in position. Then time must be taken to attach the second pole and clip. Although Moller '233 clips the skis and poles into one unit, it leaves several problems of hand carriage unsolved. First, even after the proper attachment of the clips and poles there is no real handle. Both skis must be grasped by one hand somewhere in the vicinity of the bindings or the upper end of the skis without the aid of a handle. Getting ones glove-covered hand around the width of the skis is problematic. The positions of the clipped-on poles actually hinder the grasping of the unit by obstructing the area which would normally be occupied by a holder's arm. The holder is now forced to grab the skis by their width in order to avoid the poles. Moreover, an attempt to grab the unit by the poles results in a loose arrangement because of the single pivot point by which the poles have been attached. Applying enough force to the poles to actually pick up the unit may disengage the poles and clip from the skis, as there is no latch holding the forks to the skis. Instead, the ski clips are held in place by pressure generated by the forcing down of the clip to a thicker part of the ski. Thus, Moller '233 does not allow for rigidity in handling. Moller '233 keeps the items together to be held in one hand so that one could reach for a lift ticket or one could hold on to a stability bar while standing in a bus or gondola, and leaves the back end of the skis clear for rack insertion. However, it requires a cumbersome effort to get to the result, and does not provide a convenient handle. Moller '233 also demands the skis be clamped together.
A second group of integrated solutions modifies the ski pole basket. All of these devices require effort arranging the skis in a base-to-base configuration and then a cumbersome securing process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,683 to Shields provides a basket with a pullout clamping assembly which is removed from the basket, then wrapped around a pair of base-to-base arranged skis and then reinserted into the basket, holding the ski's to the basket. Unfortunately, this process must be repeated after the poles are first joined together in opposite directions. Speed of attachment is completely absent in this method. Moreover, the actual success of attachment is suspect with many of today's skis, which are trending toward very wide configurations known as “fat” skis. Also, in order to keep the swing weight of the pole low, most performance oriented poles on the market today feature baskets only 2-3 inches in diameter. The big, wide baskets required by these methods are unattractive to many skiers. The Shields '683 basket arrangement leaves very little space between the poles and the skis, making use of the poles as handles difficult. Moreover, because baskets are usually made of a very pliable material, the rigidity of the connection is also suspect. Thus, rigid control in handling (need number two), is only partially met at best. This arrangement does not leave the tail of the ski clear for rack insertion (need number three). Plus, there is no flexibility (need number four), as the entire mass must be bundled as one. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,247,132 and 4,364,585 to Shields disclose an evolution of the Shields '683 basket. Step one of attachment is the same: the poles are interlocked in opposing directions using recesses in the basket. Step two of the process is the same: one places the skis in a base-to-base orientation. Step three is the same: place the skis into the rectangular basket recess. However, the ski securement is different. Rather than using a plastic clip, the pole strap is wrapped around the entire unit. Again, need number one, speedy attachment, remains unsatisfied. The clearance of the poles from the skis (while improved) may not be sufficient for easy grasping by a glove clad hand only partially satisfying need number two. Although it is probably rigid, this method likewise does not leave the tail of the ski clear for rack insertion and eliminates the flexibility to keep the skis apart (needs three and four respectively). U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,472 to Struble Jr. modifies the pole basket, handles, and straps. The baskets contain recesses to accommodate the shaft of the other pole near the tip end such that the poles can be joined together near the tip. The pole handles are partially covered with “ribs” (and or hook and loop fabric) such that they can be connected together at the handle end. The baskets also have large rectangular cut-outs in them to accommodate the bodies of the skis. According to this arrangement, the poles are first joined together at the basket end then the handle end. Then the skis are inserted into the basket cut-outs in an orientation such that the skis are on the outside of the package and the poles are actually between the skis. Finally, the pole straps are wrapped around the package and snapped to posts on the handle of the opposite pole. The Struble '472 system requires a fair amount of time to assemble the package. There is not a handle, although the package is rigid. An alternate version leaves the back end of the skis clear; however, the bound package (with the poles between the skis) may be too wide for rack insertion. Additionally, the single bound package may be cumbersome and not fit onto a conventional automobile rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,347 to MacIntyre teaches another basket system. The MacIntyre '347 system employs the same basic method of transversely orienting the poles by way of basket recesses. However, the approach is different with respect to attaching the skis. This method employs detent receiving holes in surfaces mounted on one side of each ski, and detented clipping recesses formed into the basket. As in all of the basket methods, it takes significant time and work to place the skis and poles in the proper positions. Second, although the poles appear to be convenient handles, rigidity and integrity of the connection is not present. The flexible material of the baskets does not provide for rigidity, and any significant stress on the flexible basket material may dislodge the skis. The holes and mounts are placed on one side of each ski, reducing balance and symmetry. The skis cannot be carried separately. Also, the tail of the skis is not clear for rack insertion. Any attempt at rack insertion would likely dislodge the connection. Finally, its use is inconsistent with performance-oriented smaller baskets currently found in the art.
Many experienced skiers have at one time or another tried to create a single package by first placing the basket ends of each pole inside the strap loops of the other pole, then placing the skis base-to-base, then placing the tip and tail of the skis into the ski pole strap loops as well, then carrying the whole collection by the poles. This method is loose, unbalanced, and takes time to arrange. It does not allow the vertical handling of the skis (as they would simply slide through the loops). It also encumbers the back end of the skis, precluding insertion into racks.
The “carrying arrangement for the joint transportation of ski sticks and skis” of WO 2007/140754 A1 to Sperlich reveals a self contained apparatus comprising an eyelet attached to the lower ⅓ of the ski pole. Unlike most integrated solutions, the Sperlich '754 arrangement connects to the interlocking ski brake. The final arrangement achieved by this invention does results in a single unit which can be toted by grasping of the ski poles as handles. But the flexibility to carry them separately is removed. Also, to get to the Sperlich '754 arrangement a substantial amount of time and effort are required, negating the advantage of speedy attachment. After the skis are placed together with interlocking ski brakes and after the open loops of the ski pole straps are looped around the top end of the two interlocked ski poles then each ski pole eyelet is manually placed around each downward pointing ski brake claw. This placement task must be done when the ski brakes are not interlocked or one must risk disengagement of the interlocking ski brakes during the eyelet attaching process. Additionally, many of the larger protrusions and recessed areas on modern interlocking ski brake claws will not easily accommodate looping over of the eyelet for stability. Even after all of the above listed efforts the result of the Sperlich '754 arrangement is still a loose ski pole handle which relies on gravity to keep the skis oriented below the poles. There is no rigidity in handling. The arrangement does not accommodate vertical positioning of the skis for easy placement in ski racks on buses and gondolas. An attempt to vertically orient the ski's by use of the poles as handles may result in failure of the entire arrangement because the top ends of the poles are loosely attached to the front ends of the skis. This equally allows the bottom ends of the skis to sway back and forth limiting the control over the entire ski set. Also, because the tip of the poles extends significantly beyond the heel piece, the Sperlich '754 arrangement further hinders insertion of the ski's tail into racks.
Another such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,397 to Kidder, which discloses a hook for the tip end of the ski pole is attached to the ski while the other end of poles are loosely attached to each other by the straps which merely sit under the skis and not around them. However, the Kidder '397 device fails to achieve speed of attachment; rigid control in handling; a clean ski for rack insertion; As well as the versatility to get underway without taking time to couple the skis together. Additionally, any attempt at vertical handling will result in the skis falling out of the stretcher formed by the ski pole straps because they do not even surround the skis.
Other patents disclose integrated locking systems, primarily to prevent theft. Two such systems claim an added benefit of convenient carriage, and are thus discussed herein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,312 to Loffelholz reveals a locking system which joins a pole and ski by way of circular rings connected to various parts of the ski. The pole is unique. The top portion of the pole separates from the remainder of the pole and the joining ends of the two pole segments constitute a combination lock. The purpose of separating the two pole parts is to allow them to be slipped loosely through the ski mounted rings and then recombined, by way of setting the lock, to form a single unit. Speedy attachment is sacrificed by requiring the setting of a combination sequence as well as the time it takes to separate the pole pieces and thread them through the rings and then the re-attaching of the pole pieces and the scrambling of the lock combination. Rigid handling is lost to the ring loops. Any attempt at vertical holding will result in the skis slipping down the pole on the rings. Any attempt at insertion into a rack, will allow the poles to slide downward until the pole basket is caught by the highest placed ring. This loose arrangement allows only stretcher-like carrying capacity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,047 to Dungan, describes a locking arrangement which fixes the poles to the skis at only one point, in a configuration similar to the Moller '233 ski clip. The primary purpose of this device is theft prevention, although some benefits of carriage are mentioned. Like Moller '233, there is no speed of attachment. The Dungan '047 system requires the skis to be oriented base-to-base, the use of a key to unlock the shackles, the placement of the locking units together, the attachment of the shackles, and then the locking with the key. Afterwards, there is a one point attachment near the top of the pole, which sacrifices a rigid handle. The user of the Dungan '047 device is encouraged to use a separate and optional ski tie to improve “stability.” The Dungan '047 arrangement will not offer any benefits different from Moller '233 ski clip unless the tie is used. Even with the tie, the invention obtains only the properties of the Sperlich arrangement, which leave one end of the ski only loosely connected—all this with the added burden of an additional item to carry and possibly loose.
Other solutions presented by prior art interlock skis base-to-base for easier handling. This has been done by means of an interlocking ski brake mechanism, which not only brakes the ski when the boot becomes dislodged from the binding, but doubles as a method by which the two skis can be temporarily interlocked. U.S. Pat. No. 7,249,785 B2 to Resch et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,966 to Sedlmair, U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,820 to Spitaler et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,321 to Riedel teach such devices and methods. However, in these inventions, it remains difficult to quickly pick up the skis and put them in the proper position for interlocking. Because one must wrap his fingers around the ski itself, often the hands become pinched between the two skis during an attempt to use the interlocking feature of the ski brakes. Also, the interlocking process is not always easy. Often one must fidget with the brake alignment and the ski position for some time. Moreover, after interlocking the skis, there is still no handle and the poles must still be carried some way. To free up the other hand, many skiers loop the pole straps over the skis, hoist the skis over their shoulders, and let the poles dangle.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an integrated pole-to-ski quick coupling arrangement that meets all six of the following needs simultaneously: (1) the need for speedy attachment; (3) the need for rigid control in handling; (4) the need to keep the back end of the skis clear for rack insertion; (5) the versatility to get underway without taking time to couple the skis together; and (6) the need to eliminate separately carried items which must be stored or can be lost. In addition to unique results, the methodology of the present invention is also unique. No prior art has sought to use a quick contact engagement and a quick release to hold and separate the skis and poles. No prior art has sought a separate handle for each of the skis so they may be carried immediately. No prior art seeks to position the poles in the forward part of the ski, leaving the entire tail of the ski unencumbered for insertion into modern ski racks. Prior art continues to attempt to solve problems presented by the long and intermediate haul situations, but does not focus on the recently emerging proliferation of short haul situations cause by increased industry use of gondolas and buses as well as more elaborate ski village designs. Therefore, a need exists for an integrated pole-to-ski quick coupling arrangement that can be used for the speedy and convenient carriage of poles and skis in short and intermediate haul situations. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills these needs. In this respect, the integrated pole-to-ski quick coupling arrangement according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of speedy and convenient carriage of poles and skis.